Bengals Place OL T.J. Johnson On IR
T.J. Johnson‘s season has come to an end. The Bengals placed the offensive lineman on the injured reserve today, reports Jim Owczarski of The Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). The 27-year-old was suddenly mentioned on the injury report late last night with a pectoral ailment. The team has promoted running back Jarveon Williams from the practice squad to take the open roster spot.
Johnson has been a dependable reserve lineman for the Bengals over the past three-plus seasons, as he’s only started five of his 45 career games. The 27-year-old, who is technically labeled as a center, has been relatively productive in 13 games this season, as Pro Football Focus ranked him 46th among 77 eligible offensive guards. With Johnson sidelined for the rest of the season, the Bengals will likely turn to Eric Winston, Alex Redmond, and Christian Westerman for more reserve reps.
Williams, an undrafted rookie out of the University of Texas at San Antonio, has spent the entire season on Cincinnati’s practice squad. His promotion could be an indication that Joe Mixon won’t be ready to go for tomorrow’s game against the Vikings. In that case, Williams would slide in behind Giovani Bernard and Brian Hill on the depth chart.
Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC North
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, and Steelers are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s AFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Quincy Adeboyejo
- RB Alex Collins
- FB Ricky Ortiz
- OL Maurquice Shakir
- LB Boseko Lokombo
- TE Ryan Malleck
- DB Reggie Porter
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed to practice squad:
- LB Brandon Bell
- K Jake Elliott
- OT Kent Perkins
- DT Josh Tupou
- WR Kermit Whitfield
- DT DeShawn Williams
- RB Jarveon Williams
- S Brandon Wilson
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed:
- WR Reggie Davis
- DB Michael Jordan
- DT T.Y. McGill
- WR Kasen Williams (story)
- QB Josh Woodrum
- Cut:
- WR Rashard Higgins
- DB Darius Hillary
- DL Tyrone Holmes
- DB Kai Nacua
- DB Marcus Burley
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE J.P. Holtz
- LB Deon King
- RB Terrence Magee
- DB Najee Murray
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Acquired:
- S J.J. Wilcox (story)
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Justin Thomas
- C Kyle Friend
- TE Jake McGee
- RB Fitzgerald Toussaint
- WR Marcus Tucker
- LB Matt Galambos
- S Jacob Hagen
- DE Lavon Hooks
- LB Farrington Huguenin
- CB Dashaun Phillips
Bengals Reach 53-Man Limit
The Bengals officially made 30 moves on Saturday in order to reach the 53-man max. The full rundown is below.
Waived:
- LB Bryson Albright
- LB Brandon Bell
- WR Chris Brown
- DE Ryan Brown
- DE Will Clarke
- S Demetrious Cox
- LB P.J. Dawson
- DT David Dean
- G J.J. Dielman
- K Jake Elliott
- DE Marcus Hardison
- FB Darrin Laufasa
- OT Landon Lechler
- G Cameron Lee
- CB Tony McRae
- OT Kent Perkins
- WR Alonzo Russell
- G Dustin Stanton
- DT Josh Tupou
- WR Kermit Whitfield
- DT DeShawn Williams
- HB Jarveon Williams
- S Brandon Wilson
Released:
- DE Wallace Gilberry (story)
- OT Eric Winston (story)
Reserve/Suspended:
- LB Vontaze Burfict
- CB Adam Jones
The team also freed up a roster spot on Saturday by trading cornerback Bene Benwikere to Dallas for a conditional sixth-round draft pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Bengals Sign 13 Undrafted Rookies
The Bengals have signed a baker’s dozen of undrafted free agents:
- Brandon Bell, LB (Penn State)
- Cethan Carter, TE/FB (Nebraska)
- Demetrious Cox, S (Michigan State)
- Karel Hamilton, WR (Samford)
- Darrin Laufasa, FB (UTEP)
- Landon Lechler, OT (North Dakota St.)
- Monty Madaris, WR (Michigan State)
- Hardy Nickerson Jr., LB (Illinois)
- Kent Perkins, OL (Texas)
- Dustin Stanton, OL (Oregon State)
- Josh Tupou, DT (Colorado)
- Jarveon Williams, RB (Texas-San Antonio)
- Stanley Williams, RB (Kentucky)
Nickerson is the son of Hardy Nickerson Sr., a former Pro Bowl linebacker and NFL coach. The elder Nickerson currently serves as Illinois’ defensive coordinator and that allowed him to coach his son towards the end of his collegiate career. Nickerson Jr. has been lauded for his work ethic, but some scouts question whether he can stick at the next level.
“He may get a legacy grade from some teams based on his tackle production and his bloodlines, but I’m struggling to find consistent tape of him where he looks like an NFL linebacker,” a regional scout for an NFC team told NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.
The Bengals already have five running backs under contract, including rookie Joe Mixon, so tailbacks Jarveon Williams and Stanley Williams may be facing an uphill battle as they try to make the final cut.